Unraveled Read Free Page B

supposed to.
    We had been warned about them during my training at the Coventry, the effect they
     had on citizens. Being responsible for a blackout was a sure way to lose your position
     at the loom. But a simple blackout didn’t require the attention of the prime minister.
    “Take her,” Cormac commands Hannox, and he’s out the door before I can ask him what
     I should do to help.
    The gages are back over my fingers despite my protests and Hannox marches me out of
     Cormac’s quarters.
    “I don’t need these,” I say to Hannox.
    “I’m in charge of your safety.” His response is even, but he doesn’t bother to look
     at me.
    “And how do these keep me safe?” I ask him.
    “Cormac placed you under my guard. I’ve been studying you for years, Adelice. I tracked
     you on the surface of Earth, and in that time I’ve come to one conclusion.”
    This should be good.
    “The person who poses the most danger to you”—he pauses and meets my eyes—“is yourself.”
    I wish I could argue that point, but I can’t.
    Around us, officers in various styles of tactical gear rush in and out of corridors.
     Some carry weapons and others are in rappelling equipment. This is what a state of
     emergency looks like. Cormac can lie about the severity of the issues in Arras, but
     seeing this I know the situation is spinning out of his control. I wait for someone
     to give me directions but instead I’m led to the aeroship’s observation deck, which
     is full of bustling crew who push past me and around me without a second glance.
    “What am I supposed to do?” I ask Hannox as he turns to leave me.
    Hannox isn’t quite what I expected. I’d seen him before at the Guild mines on Earth,
     but now that he’s up close to me, I don’t know what to make of him. He’s got a soft
     face with large brown eyes that crinkle in concentration. He’s not smooth and polished
     and slick like Cormac. But Hannox is deadly, I remind myself. I can’t trust his kind
     face. It’s always Hannox that Cormac calls to handle his dirty work. He must be good
     at it.
    “Sit tight and let us observe you,” Hannox says to me.
    “That’s it? I can’t … help?”
    Hannox’s eyes stay soft but his words are cold as he checks the settings on the steel
     cuffs that bind my fingers. “I don’t know what deal you’ve struck with Cormac, but
     when we need your help, we’ll ask for it. We have a full-blown revolution happening
     in the Eastern Sector. I’m not about to parade the queen of the rebels in and trust
     her to help us out.”
    “What if I escape?” I ask him, a burning resentment bubbling through me. But I immediately
     regret my question. Hannox will certainly report it back to Cormac.
    “I would love to see you try to escape with those on,” Hannox says, gesturing to the
     gages, “but if by some miracle you do”—he turns my wrist and traces the control panel—“I’ll
     blow your hands off. A Creweler isn’t much use without her hands.”
    “No, she isn’t,” I say. I withdraw my hands and turn away from him so he can’t see
     my face.
    Hannox leans in to my ear. “And don’t forget we have your sister.”
    I don’t respond. I keep my focus on the activity around me, trying to discern what
     they plan to do once we get to Arras. We’re moving across the Interface faster than
     I’ve ever seen before and in doing so we catch and rip at its strands, damaging many
     of them in the process. To my right a man is barking coordinates, his head tipped
     to the side, communicating via complant to someone far away. Men ascend the ship’s
     overhead envelope, scaling its rungs with tethers and ropes hooked over their shoulders.
    “Hold on tight!” The command comes from Cormac as he whistles past me. I follow him,
     desperate for more information about what’s going on.
    “Why?” I ask.
    “Because we’re about to brake,” he calls over his shoulder.
    “My hands are kinda engaged at the moment,” I remind